Young Christian Leaders' Alliance

The idea of a new reformation has been posed on many occasions in the past few years and decades. Many believe that God will do a work near the end of time which will show His power in a way paralleled only by His work in and around the early church. Such a belief has a foundation in Scripture. It stems mainly from passages describing a “latter rain” – a time of preparing for the final harvest.  These descriptions are found, for example, in Joel 2:23, Zechariah 10:1, and James 5:7.  It is believed that if Pentecost was the “early rain,” a “latter rain” is also still approaching, with similar proportions.

There have been numerous claims as to what the essence of this reformation will be. Statements vary that it will be anything from a revival of miraculous healing to a realization of true self-esteem. What is the truth about the final reformation?

The Bible gives us one main reason the “latter rain” is withheld. Jeremiah 3:1-3 describe the state of much of the church today – trusting and falsely loving everything but God Himself.  In order for the new reformation to take place, God’s Word must become the sole final authority.  We must truly believe in its truth.  We must be willing to follow God’s commands in our lives, for His sake and not that of others.  Thus, the first element of the new reformation is that the Bible must become our ultimate operational standard.

There are several specific areas in which a return to Scriptural authority is necessary. First, believers need to be willing to “wake up” and reclaim a healthy, Christ-like mind. Scripture tells us to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (I Corinthians 10:5). Rock music and worldly television are two influences which often contribute to the inability of believers to obey this command.

Second, each of us must have a right fear of God. The Bible says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). A fear of God will lead us to have respect for others, while giving us the courage to take a different path (Matthew 10:28).

Third, we must recognize and live the fact that the church is not an institutional system, but a community of believers God has created to edify each other on a daily basis (Hebrews 3:13). Church must become more than a once-a-week-event; it must be a cooperation and communication with others in the body of Christ, throughout the week.

Finally, the gospel must once again be preached as a message of salvation from sin (Matthew

1:21). It is not enough to scare people out of Hell. If claimed messengers of Christ do not teach His victory over Satan’s dominion, a grave danger exists that they are on the path of the “traitors” described by Paul in II Timothy 3:5: “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”  

God’s reformation will come in His time. Let us be strong in our “long patience” for the latter rain (James 5:7). In the mean time, let us accept His supremacy, its foundation.

-R. Josiah Magnuson

I just bought a really good mic for my computer today.  I've been practicing and experimenting with it to see how to make good recordings to put online - hopefully I can put a lot of Bible and/or YCLA articles on audio so people can hear them expressed.  (There are of course a lot of good Bible recordings, but most don't sound like a book - they tend to be monotonous it seems like.)  Here's an attempt at something different: http://youngchristianleaders.org/Documents/Proverbs%203%201through17.wma  It will improve with time no doubt, but see what you think.

-Josiah M.

Character Qualities and Principles Relating to Young Christian Leaders

Wisdom

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” - Ephesians 5:15-17

Wisdom is seeing life through God’s perspective, learning and applying His principles in our every-day lives. Wisdom is gained from a fear of the Lord and an understanding of His holy Words (Proverbs 9:10). Instead of following our faulty natural inclinations, we can, through faith, understand, meditate, and apply God’s absolute principles as they are revealed in his Words. God puts an important emphasis on gaining Wisdom in Proverbs 4:7 – “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”

Related Character Qualities: Faith, Reverence, Obedience, and Discretion

Maturity

“Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” – Colossians 4:12

Maturity is instantly obeying the promptings of the Holy Spirit and resisting temptation. It is applying God’s principles and demonstrating character qualities we have learned. The Bible describes maturity as being “complete and perfect in the will of God.” Some important character qualities relating to maturity include: Responsibility – Fulfilling what is required of me by God and others, Punctuality – Valuing others by showing high esteem for their time, and Initiative – Recognizing and fulfilling needs of others before I am asked.

Sanctification

“For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;” – I Thessalonians 4:3-4

Sanctification is the process of growing in character, grace, and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ by studying His Words, obeying the Holy Spirit, and learning from the people and experiences God puts in our lives. The Bible says that sanctification is the will of God, so that we can abstain from the deceptive snares of the world. While sanctification encompasses our learning all of the character qualities of Christ, some highlights include: Meekness – Giving our personal rights to God. Reverence – Respecting and listing to the working of God in our lives. Sincerity – Doing right with godly motives. Virtue – The moral excellence that radiates from our life as we obey God’s Word.

Thankfulness

“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” I Thessalonians 5:18

Thankfulness is realizing that everything we have is because of someone else and is ultimately a gift entrusted to us by God. When we are thankful, we recognize the worth of others and praise God through our thoughts and actions. Thankfulness comes when we yield our lives, rights, relationships, and possessions to God, their rightful owner, and obey his commands. I Corinthians 4:7 explains that everything we have, indeed, our very own lives, is a gift from God: “For who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?”

Related Character Qualities: Gratefulness, Attentiveness, Sensitivity, and Joyfulness

Confidence

“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” – Hebrews 10:35-36

Confidence is knowing that our actions and communications are right in the sight of God’s standards.  Confidence is based on knowing that God’s truths are absolute and pure and having a clear conscience. God’s absolute, preserved, pure, and un-changing Words are our foundation and confidence. A Clear conscience is the basis for our being able to expound the truth with boldness. Perfect love, the love of Christ, casteth out fear: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” – I John 4:18

Related Character Qualities: Boldness, Flexibility, Enthusiasm, Love, and Justice

Freedom

“Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.” – Peter 2:13-14

Freedom is the power, or grace, that God gives us to do what we ought, not what we want. We are free when we fulfill our responsibilities to God and man. Freedom is based on responsibility. A free society requires responsible citizens and officials. Likewise, if we are to be free, we must yield our rights to God and accept responsibility for our actions. Some character qualities relating to the principle of freedom: Forgiveness – When we forgive those who offend us, we are free from the destructive consequences of bitterness.  Virtue – When we humble ourselves and follow God’s standards, we are free from the consequences of impurity. Faith – Trusting God allows us to be free to have Him work through us. Creativity – Submitting to authority gives us the freedom to approach problems and find solutions from new perspectives.   

Endurance

“For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.” I Peter 3:17

Endurance is overcoming obstacles and temptations to fulfill our responsibilities. It is purposing in our heart to accomplish God’s goals despite opposition. The Bible describes the Christian Life as a race: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12:1-2. We can do nothing without Christ; it is only through his strength that we can run our race.

Related Character Qualities: Patience, Loyalty, Determination, and Cautiousness

Separation

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” I John 2:16-17

Separation is the wisdom, boldness, and discernment to stand alone for God’s principles without compromising. Separation requires that we understand that all that is in the world, its system, allurements, and lusts, are of the world and will pass away.  However, the work that we do for the Lord will endure forever. The Bible commands us to “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” – Colossians 3:2. When we stand alone for the truth we must have humility and a Christ-like spirit to communicate effectively. Following God’s standards will keep us safe from the snares and dangers of the world.

Related Character Qualities: Alertness, Persuasiveness, Security, and Discernment

More Information:

A superb resource on the Character Qualities of Christ, upon which this article draws, is “Operation Definitions of Character Qualities” by Bill Gothard.

We are pleased to announce that the 2010 BEAMS Handbook is now available online in its current form.

It's entitled "Upholding the Light."  Click here to view it.

The YCLA is happy to announce a new strategic emphasis for the year 2010. Our theme beginning in January will be “Core Communities.” The emphasis of the Core Communities theme will be to build on our individual contacts already in existence nationwide, to create or identify entire centres of principled young people. We will thus be focusing on reaching entire groups, as well as continuing our previous concentration on gaining new individual contacts and members.  The goal is to establish numerous bases of support which can be networked for political, social, and evangelistic action.

One way this goal can be accomplished is through YCLA training events such as Lead the Lemon.  Lead the Lemon is an example of an exciting and fun yet simple event which demonstrates how to “be an example” of Christ (I Tim. 4:12) in “sour” situations. It consists primarily of a round of mini-golf with lemons as the golf balls, followed by a brief presentation, and then lemonade making and refreshments!  Through this and other events, the YCLA will take a broad yet personal approach to growing our network. (You can find out more about the Lead the Lemon opportunity online at www.YoungChristianLeaders.org/lemons.aspx!)  

Operation Pi and BEAMS will also contribute to the Core Communities theme. Operation Pi, an effort to see prayer groups started in schools, will continue to create new centres of young people who are connected with God and who have a heart for serving Christ. BEAMS, an acronym for Becoming Energetic And Mobilized Servants, is an educational option for leadership–minded youth. It, too, has great potential to begin creating a network for principle as groups begin using its challenging rank advancements and Handbook.

The ultimate goal of the YCLA is to unite likeminded young people to serve in reclaiming the culture. For example, thousands of Bible-believing churches have youth groups, but many take\ little time to integrate moral efforts into their activities. Still fewer ever interact with other youth groups, because of a lack of the common ground created by action for common principles. The YCLA will seek to provide ways for these groups to come together in support of the Biblical worldview.  Ultimately, success depends on God’s working and our individual contacts spreading the word.

Will you help us build the network?

The conflict is picking up right now in the political realm over what the proper method is to right all the wrongs in America, especially the economic ones, so that each of our wallets can again experience great happiness and freedom!  However, there are also many Christians who have been speaking out against political action of any sort. They believe that earthly patriotism can only detract from heavenly patriotism, and thus Christians must only act for directly evangelistic purposes.

Both of these campaigns appear somewhat misguided when held to the light of Scripture.  On the one hand, the Bible is not a political manifesto. Its primary intention is not to effect social or economic change. On the other hand, the Bible does work in life and indeed contains important principles which political activists and government officials would do well to heed.

It should be our priority as believers to uphold God’s Word. If true improvement comes, not financially-motivated but cultural, it will come as a by-product of our presentation of God’s absolute morality and the Good News.

For example, the Bible commands us that “thou shalt not steal” (Exodus 20:15) and “if any would not work, neither should he eat” (II Thess. 3:10). It further indicates that “a false balance is an abomination….” (Prov. 11:1). Thus, we can reasonably infer that much of our current economic system, e.g. Federal Reserve fiat (fake) money, is not pleasing to God.

So is it wrong for a Christian to be interested in politics? No. However, the strategy the Bible outlines is much different than is often used:

-Pray for our leaders. I Timothy 2:1-2 tells us, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”

-Respect those in authority. I Peter 2:17 says, “Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.”

-Defend others’ rights. Proverbs 31:9 indicates there are those God calls on to “Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.”

There is indeed a place for Christians in political action. However, we must be sure before we attempt modern strategies that we are carrying out the Biblical directives God has given us.  More importantly, we need to focus on being Christ-like in our individual lives. As Proverbs 14:34 reminds us, “Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”

- R. Josiah Magnuson

YCLA President

This article was taken from the YCLA monthly newsletter.  For info on how to subscribe, email ycla@youngchristianleaders.org.

"Lead the Lemon" is an event we are currently developing for church or other youth groups, to introduce them to the YCLA while teaching numerous key leadership principles. 

What Happens

The main event is a nine-hole mini-golf match.  Each member of the groupbrings a lemon to use as the "golf ball."  They can pair up withothers, or compete individually.  Each must hit their lemon with a designated instrument - they must not use their hands.  It is generally hard to get the football-shaped lemons into the holes.  After the match, the group can use the lemons to make their own lemonade, to be used in a time of refreshment.  A presentation may be included between the mini-golf and lemonade-making, or may be added at the end.  

The Point

Pushing is not an effective leadership strategy.  If the lemon were pulled on a string, for instance, the game would be much easier.  In leading others, the best way to do so is by example - to live what you believe,"pulling" others along in love.  If people are forced to follow, they usually will not be committed for long.

Also, the saying "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade" can be well-demonstrated in this event.  The lemons may be explained to represent one's life, sugar as the choice to have a positive ("sweet") attitude, and water as the Water of the Word which God has given us to live by.  While our lives sometimes may be "sour," and while God often may have to "squeeze" us some, we should remember that "He knoweth the way that I take - when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as [liquid !!] gold."  (Job 23:10)

What to Do

Please pray as we finalize plans and continue to schedule these events in churches.  If you would like info on hosting a "Lead the Lemon" event at your church, please contact us online or email us at yclalliance@gmail.com.  Thanks!

Can you imagine what it would be like if there were a group of committed, Bible-believing prayer warriors in every school across America?  Can you imagine these groups teaming up every week or every day to share concerns and successes, acknowledging God and asking Him to bring a revival in their school? Can you imagine the impact such groups would have, even if only a few existed? A witness for Christ would be unleashed which would be powerful.

Such is the vision of the YCLA for our project called Operation Pi. “Pi” stands for Prayer Initiative. The goal of this project is to create or identify at least 25 school prayer groups by the end of 2009, and 75 more by the end of 2010.  We have, at the time of this writing, achieved around half the 2009 number, in five states.

Anyone in school is strongly encouraged to participate. Leading a group of a few friends in prayer once a week is a relatively easy action compared to many projects YCLA supporters have helped with in the past. Even if you don’t think you are the “leader type,” you could mention the idea to someone who is.

Be involved in a tangible reformation effort!  Operation Pi is for you.

Go to www.youngchristianleaders.org/prayer.aspx for more info on how to get involved.

The Creator, Liberty, and Moral Absolutes

By R. Josiah Magnuson

Q. Why is law from the Creator necessary?

A. Law from the Creator gives an absolute moral standard to secure freedom. Without such a standard, governments have no purpose but to achieve dictatorship status over their people.

Q. Does the First Amendment allow government to acknowledge the Creator?

A. Yes. In fact, the United States Congress has opened each of their sessions with public prayer since 1777. The early constitutions of the states also each spoke of dependence on God. The First Amendment only prohibits Congress from enacting legislation regarding "an establishment of religion," meaning Congress has no jurisdiction over what particular doctrines or traditions the country as a whole must support. Incidentally, the First Amendment also prohibits laws infringing on the free exercise of religion, which thus allows the acknowledgement of God by public officials.

Q. Were the Founding Fathers really Deists or atheists?

A. No! Almost all the Founding Fathers claimed unabashedly to be Christians. In fact, many declared that liberty could not exist without the acknowledgement of the Creatorship of God. However, it is true that several may have held less than orthodox beliefs regarding the inspiration of the Bible, miracles, and other divine acts.

Next Post: The Role of Government

The above is the title of the August, 2009 Voice of the Martyrs Magazine. The communist government of the People's Republic of China has recently intensified its campaign to squelch the gospel through state-sanctioned internet censorship and radio jamming, as well as the customary harassment, arrest, imprisonment, and torture of witnessing Chinese Christians.

However, the 73 million strong Chinese communist party has failed to foresee that they are fighting a losing battle. The power of the gospel of Jesus Christ to save men and bring true hope and fulfillment transcends opposition and persecution. As one communist Chinese official from the Public Safety Bureau (PSB) stated, "We arrest and bring to justice illegal Christian missionary, [sic] and five more spring up suddenly."

Please continue to work and pray by witnessing in your own community and praying for our persecuted fellow Christians around the globe.

Here is an update from China Aid:

Youth Camp Raided in Henan; Two Christian Leaders Detained - July 28, 2009

HENAN - A Christian youth camp was raided in Nanyang city, Henan on July 23. More than 20 students were participating the summer youth camp were gathering at No. 23, Lizhuang, Pushan town, Wuolong district, Nanyang city, Henan when they were raided by a number of Public Security Bureau (PSB) and Religious Affairs Bureau (RAB) officials. The raid took place at 12 noon, and all of the students were taken away for further interrogation. The students, who were all under 18 years old, were released and dispatched back to their homes in the afternoon. Two instructors, Mrs. Cheng Ping, 40 years old, and Mrs. Miao Miao, age 30, were sent to the Yongan Lu Detention Center of Nanyang city. They were reportedly sentenced to administrative detention. The lengths of their sentences are unknown because the church leaders who organized the camp were threatened by officials not to speak to the public about this case.

Contact the Chinese embassy and ask for the immediate release of Ms. Cheng Peng and Ms. Miao Miao. Urge Ambassador Zhou to guarantee freedom of belief in China as stated in China?s Constitution.

Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong

3505 International Place, NW,

Washington, D.C. 20008

Tel: (202) 495-2000

Fax: (202) 588-9760

More Information:

China Aid

Voice of the Martyrs